Extinction Part 5

At the Luthor Mansion…

Leonard Wallace was having the time of his life. His everyday existence consisted of repairing tractors and trucks. The only time he got to appreciate engines of this artistry was when he went to exhibits. Mr. Luthor, or Lex as he liked to be called, had his own mechanic that dealt with his collection. Leonard's fun came to a halt when he unexpectedly heard voices in the middle of the garage. He hid his body behind the car, but stretched his neck out to see who was talking.

The blonde girl, Alicia, who could disappear at will was there along with Van McNulty. For some reason she had brought the fox inside the hen house. Leonard held his breath as Alicia disappeared, leaving the shooter behind. Van went about pulling items from his pack.

I got to do something. Leonard gulped.

Leonard reached out his arms and stretched. He felt his arms elongate towards Van. He grasped the teen's neck and began to tighten his grasp. Leonard felt horrible doing this to a kid, but he knew Van would not hesitate to shoot everyone inside.

The mechanic shouted in pain as he felt something cold bite into his hands. His arms snapped back to their natural length. A thin layer of ice covered his hands, making it difficult for the fingers to move. Leonard looked up to see Van holding a cylinder similar to a fire extinguisher in front of him. The boy was smiling as he squeezed the handle, covering Leonard in a thick, white cold.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Jordan jumped when someone touched his shoulder.

"What?" Jordan asked.

"I just asked if you've seen Alicia?" Megan repeated.

"Oh. No."

"She probably left to be with Clark," Lana said.

"Good for her," Jordan said, wishing desperately he could leave the mansion. He was having second thoughts about accepting Lex's offer. After his vision, he should have refused to come.

All of the guests convened in one of the mansion's spacious rooms that had been set up as a commons. A fold out table had been set up with an assortment of pizza boxes. There were three TVs set up with video games and another two had news stations on. Jordan found himself sitting at a table meant for studying, a plate of pizza uneaten in front of him.

In all of the visions Jordan had seen, he had never seen his own fate. Until he held on to Lex's hand and saw himself trying to escape a wall of fire. He felt helpless in a new way. Jordan had never been able to help others before. And now, it was his life on the line. It was only logical to question if he hadn't come to the mansion, would he live for sure?

There was a sound of clattering metal on the floor. Everyone turned to see a small, metal cylinder rolling to the center of the room. There was a hiss, and a thin stream of gas came out. Karen screamed and the entire room went into darkness. Those closest to the canister began to cough. Jordan covered his mouth and got down on all fours. He remembered during fire safety lectures how they always said to get near the ground to avoid as much smoke as possible. He didn't know if it applied to whatever gas this was, but it was a risk Jordan was going to take.

Jordan and a handful of others crawled towards the closest exit but found the doors would not budge. A wave of drowsiness set over Jordan as he watched a masked intruder enter the room.

Van. Jordan began to succumb to darkness as he watched him grab Megan by the hair.

"You're coming with me."

"No!" Lana said through a coughing fit. "Van, please, don't do this."

Van was silent to her protests and grabbed her by the arm. Lana was too weak from the gas to do anything but trail along.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Lana felt as if her lungs were on fire. Breathing was difficult enough, let alone trying to talk sense into Van. To Lana's relief, they came across Lex in the hallway.

"Lex, Lex, Lex," Van tsked. "You really need better security."

"Congratulations," Lex said. "You're inside."

Megan's body fell to the floor and Lana felt the barrel of gun pressed to her head.

"I suggest you tell your security team to get outside."

"Come on, Van. Lana's not your target."

"Do it!"

When Lex didn't move, Van turned the rifle on Megan and shot her in the leg. Megan screamed in pain as the gun returned to Lana's head. Lex dialed a number into his phone.

"Everyone is to get outside. That's an order."

"Thank you."

Lana felt Van's body move behind her. She knew he was going to shoot Lex. Lana lifted her elbow and slammed it back into Van's ribs. She attacked just as Van tried to pull the trigger, aiming at Lex. The bullet went into Lex's lower abdomen, and he collapsed onto his knees. Angry at missing his target, Van threw Lana to the ground. He marched over to Lex and brought the end of the rifle to Lex's head.

Lex's body lay on the hallway floor, unmoving.

"Lex!" Lana shouted. Once more she and Megan were being pulled by Van down the hall. Lana focused on breathing. If she recovered enough she might have the strength to fight Van off. It took her a moment to realize Van had taken them to the inside pool. Lana watched as Megan was pushed into the water.

Megan swam up to the surface, gasping for air, her gills extended. Megan screamed in pain as she desperately tried to find a way out.

"What's wrong? I thought you liked the water," Van mocked.

"Chlorine. She can't breathe," Lana gasped out herself.

"Oh." Van sounded thoughtful.

Lana scrambled to her feet as Van walked into the nearby closet. He came out with large containers of chlorine. By then, Megan had made it to the railing and was trying to pull herself out. With a kick to Megan's chin, she was thrown back into the water. Van opened the containers and dumped both inside the pool.

"Okay, Lana," Van said, holding her up. "You go out this door and run as far away from this place as you can. Got it?"

"Megan!" Lana pushed Van away.

Megan was flailing in the pool. Her attempts to swim were causing the water to splash against her gills, causing her to scream and sputter for air. The girl sank. Lana jumped in the pool and dove down. The extra chlorine burned her eyes, but she needed to see where her friend was. Lana grabbed hold of Megan and swam both of them up to the surface. The victory was short lived as Lana knocked her head against something. There was only a small amount of room for Lana to breathe as she realized Van had activated the pool's cover.

They were trapped.

At the Kent farm…

"He's coming to," Clark heard his mother say.

He opened his eyes and found Alicia staring down at him with a concerned expression. Once again, his head was in her lap and Alicia passed her fingers through his hair in soothing strokes.

"Clark." Alicia whispered his name, smiling down at him.

"How do you feel?" Clark's dad asked as they got him to his feet.

"Good, actually." Clark stretched. He felt as if he woke up from a restful nap. There was no pain in his shoulder where the bullet had been. He looked around and took in the circle of mirrors. "What's all this?"

"It was Alicia's idea," Martha said.

"It was just a theory. If your powers are solar related, I thought dosing your body in solar energy would restore it faster. Luckily we had some sunlight left."

"You are brilliant," Clark grinned, causing Alicia to blush. "Okay, I need to get back to finding Van."

"Oh," Alicia bit her lip. "I know where he is."

"Where?"

"The mansion."

"The mansion!" All the Kents exclaimed.

"Why didn't you say something?" Mr. Kent asked.

"I was a little distracted," Alicia murmured as she nestled closer to Clark.

Clark took in a deep breath to calm himself. "It's fine. Promise me you'll stay here?"

"Absolutely not. I won't leave your side."

"It's going to be dangerous."

"I know; you were shot." Alicia wrapped her arms around Clark's neck. "That's why you're not leaving until we get you something first."

Outside the Luthor Mansion…

Perry White found himself inspired. By Clark Kent, of all people.

There was a story to be found in Smallville. Just not the one he had been aiming for. Right under his nose was the story of a serial killer; the police were currently on a man hunt. When Bobby arrived with the car, White insisted they start their search for Van McNulty. They didn't have to work that hard, as a call came in over the police scanner for everyone to come to the Luthor Mansion. Their camera wasn't connected to one of the news stations, but Perry was the first man on site.

"Sheriff, can you tell us what's going on?" Perry said, approaching the line of cop cars.

"Mr. White, I don't have time for you. You stay a good distance back," Sheriff Adam's barked. She then turned to her deputy. "Where are we at opening up that fence?"

"No good, sheriff. The lock is electric and isn't responding. The source is on the other side."

White motioned for Bobby to get the camera rolling. He smoothed his hair down and straightened his jacket.

"We are outside the Luthor Mansion as what appears to be a hostage situation is unfolding."

Perry looked into the camera and began to report an actual news story instead of some puff piece or monster fiction.

It all felt good.

Inside the Luthor Mansion…

At Clark's request, Alicia brought them to the mansion's lower level. The entire estate was dark, but that didn't matter to Clark's Xray vision. A group of skeletons was sitting in a large circle; a lone figure walked among them.

"Where's Van?"

"Shh," Clark put a finger to his lips. He focused his hearing in Van's direction.

"Hey, sheriff." Clark heard Van's voice say.

"Mr. McNulty. What can I do for you?"

"If you can have everyone back up that'd be appreciated. I got a bomb here that's going to go off in ten minutes. I don't want any innocent people getting hurt."

Clark yelped in pain as he heard his name like it was being blasted at a concert.

"Sorry," Alicia whispered.

"Van's got a bomb. We got ten minutes."

"Let's take him out."

"No," Clark said. "Get as many people as you can outside. I'll handle Van."

Alicia kissed him.

"For good luck."

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Jordan woke up to find his wrists tied together. He and everyone else were surrounding a device. From what he had overheard from Van, it was a bomb.

A flash of green distracted him and he saw Alicia grab two people and disappear in a flash.

"Hold it!" Van ordered when she appeared again, pointing his gun to Sasha Woodman's head. Alicia frowned, but she didn't move.

Van, along with the rest of the room, became distracted as a loud buzzing came from outside the windows. The glass thumped and vibrated as the glass shattered. Van screamed in pain as he was surrounded by a cloud of bees.

Alicia, freed by the distraction, went back to grabbing two people at a time and taking them outside. Jordan was relieved when Alicia grabbed him and in a second he was outside under the night sky.

"Is that everyone?" Alicia asks.

"I don't see Lex." Jordan said. "Or Megan. Or Lana."

Alicia disappeared again, leaving Jordan alone.

I'm alive. I'm alive, Jordan thought.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Clark entered the room. Alicia had rescued everyone, and it was now just Van and the bomb inside. McNulty cursed as he swatted away Sasha's defenders. They were quickly losing interest and began to fly through the open window.

Clark glanced at the clock.

Four minutes were left.

"Van."

The shooter spun around with his rifle and fired three consecutive shots. Clark didn't bother to try and catch them but went into superspeed mode and ran to the other side of Van. When he returned to normal speed, Van pulled out a meteor rock, making Clark back up.

"Van, turn it off. It's just you and me in here."

"Then that's enough."

"You'll die."

"And if I take you with me, it's worth it."

There was a shimmer of green light and Alicia was at his side.

"Clark, time to go." Alicia laced her fingers through Clark's hand.

Van fired another clip.

Clark went into speed mode and saw a kryptonite bullet heading for Alicia's head. Clark pulled his girlfriend close to him and to the floor so she was out of the line of fire. Clark couldn't get close to Van, so he grabbed a textbook from the floor and threw it at Van's head. The weight of the hardcover book, combined with Clark's strength, was enough to send Van to the ground unconscious.

Alicia reached out to touch the bomb. Two minutes to go.

Clark rested his hand on hers. "Take Van. I got this."

Alicia did as Clark said and transported Van outside.

Clark grabbed the bomb and went to the open window. With all his strength he threw the bomb straight up into the air.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Three ambulances arrived outside the mansion. The EMTs were busy, checking out everyone who came from inside the mansion. The crowd of metas, cops, and medical staff all turned to look at the sky as a ball of fire lit up the night.

"Please tell me you got that," Perry said to Bobby.

"Uh huh," the kid said, the camera still pointing to where the bomb had just detonated.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Clark stayed in the shadows. There was no way he could explain his presence there without a truck or Alicia present. He watched as cops tied Van down to a gurney. An EMT was shining a flashlight into Alicia's eyes. Clark used his super hearing again to listen in on Sheriff Adams.

"We're missing Lex Luthor, and two teens are still unaccounted for: Megan Calder and Lana Lang."

Clark turned back to the mansion and scanned the building. He saw one skeleton laying down, but the other two forms seemed to be struggling. Quickly he sped to where they were.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Lana was growing weaker. The pool cover allowed for some breathing room, but Megan had passed out and was weighing her down. There was only the smallest edge Lana could hold onto. The extra chlorine Van had dumped in the water was burning Lana's eyes, her throat, and nose. Megan's gills were inflamed.

"Help!" Lana screamed, inhaling more of the pungent fumes.

There was a loud CRACK! and a blast of fresh air washed over Lana. Gratefully she breathed in as strong arms lifted her up. Lana's vision only allowed her to see shadows.

"Who's there?" Lana blinked, trying to clear her vision.

The only response was another blast of cold wind and there were more shouts. One voice became louder than the rest; it belonged to an EMT and began to ask Lana questions. She answered them in a daze, barely able to pay attention.

Someone with powers had just saved her and Megan.

LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL

Clark drove up to the mansion in the family truck. He had carried the vehicle in super speed until he was a safe, but close, distance away and put the vehicle back on the road. That way, everyone would witness him driving the truck like a normal person.

"Alicia!" Clark got out of the truck and ran to his girlfriend. Alicia was assisting an EMT pour water over Megan's neck.

"How does that feel?" Alicia asked Megan.

"Better," Megan said in a hoarse whisper.

Clark glanced to his left and saw Lana wrapped in a blanket. He hadn't seen a way to hide his powers when he lifted the fiberglass off the pool. Lana had stared straight at him with red eyes and asked who it was. Clark didn't know how or why, but Lana must have been suffering from temporary blindness.

"She was exposed to too much chlorine," Alicia explained as she dumped more water over Megan's gills. "We're trying to wash it out."

Clark surveyed the rest of the crowd. Most appeared to be fine. A pair of medics were pulling a stretcher from the mansion; Lex was on it.

"Lex." Clark walked over to his friend. A red stain made it clear Lex had survived a bullet wound. An oxygen mask covered Lex's mouth, but Clark could see him give a small smile.

"He should be fine, but we need to get him to the hospital as soon as we can," a medic explained as they lifted Lex inside the ambulance.

"I'm telling you, he's a freak!" Van shouted as he fought against his restraints. A nurse was trying to inject him with a needle. Van kicked the nurse aside, ripped his right hand free and grabbed a gun from the cop's holster. Immediately Van shot the gun in Clark's direction.

There were screams and gasps as Clark stayed standing, not showing any sign of injury. Van grinned and laughed as more cops and medics came to hold him down and were finally successful in injecting him with a sedative.

"Kid?" Perry asked.

"Everyone relax." Clark addressed the crowd. "It's all about dressing for the occasion."

Clark opened his shirt to reveal a lead, bulletproof shield. There were some chuckles and the crowd quickly lost interest.

Jordan walked up to Van, now barely moving on the gurney. He touched the shooter's hand and flinched from his vision.

"I don't understand," Jordan said as he backed away.

Clark held Alicia close as he watched the medics put Van inside the second ambulance. With his super hearing, Clark heard Van say one more word before the doors closed.

"Freak."

Well, it was either upload something tonight or leave you guys hanging for a week, and I didn't want to do that. I lost some time, so I could only finish this chapter, but it's longer than normal so I hope that counts for something.